The present disclosure relates generally to computer systems, and more specifically, to systems and methods for distributing components of user interfaces to a plurality of user devices.
The popularity of mobile devices, such as smartphones and similar third generation (3G) devices, has surged recently. Users are now accessing a variety of content via the Internet and other computer networks more than ever before. Along with this rising popularity is a surge in the numbers and types of applications that execute on mobile devices. For example, applications are available that configure the display of a user's cellular telephone or other mobile device to control content displayed on the display of another separate device, such as a desktop computer or a television (TV). By way of example only, the “REMOTE” user application published by APPLE enables a user's iPHONE, iPOD, and iPAD to function as a remote control to control audio and video playback of multimedia content on iTUNES and APPLE TV. MICROSOFT'S XBOX SMARTGLASS application performs similar functions.
However, in most cases, the application that provides the controls comprising the user interface (UI) on the user's mobile device is a custom written control application. That is, the control application is especially created to control a specific user application (e.g., iTUNES or XBOX), to ensure that the control elements fit on a certain size display screen, and is particularly directed to specific interaction use-cases. Moreover, users have little or no choice in configuring the UIs provided by these control applications, which prevents users from employing the display screen on their mobile device to display supplementary information such as alerts.
Other applications are similarly affected. For example, Virtual Network Computing (VNC) applications allow users of different devices to share a single desktop. However, the applications on the desktop being shared by the users are generally written for single users, and as such, cannot properly handle shared control from a plurality of different devices. Thus, as a practical matter, controlling such applications from users' mobile devices can be awkward.